On an October night in 2003, a flatbed truck delivered a sleek red-and-white information booth to Vienna’s Karlsplatz, which was set up overnight. The booth’s large glass window prominently displayed a Nike Swoosh, a website address, and the words: “Nikeplatz (formerly Karlsplatz).”
Visitors to the website or those who entered the booth to speak with Nike representatives learned that Karlsplatz had been renamed Nikeplatz, mirroring the trend of cities selling naming rights to sports stadiums for corporate sponsorships.
A map of Europe indicated that this initiative was part of a broader international campaign. Soon, cities across Europe would welcome “Nike Strasse,” “Nike Square,” or “Nike Street.”
As the brightly animated website proclaimed: “You want to wear it, so why shouldn’t cities wear it too?”
The campaign didn’t stop at renaming Karlsplatz. Plans were underway to install a monumental Swoosh sculpture in the square.
However, as journalists quickly discovered in their initial calls to Nike, the campaign was not the company’s doing. Instead, it was an elaborate hoax conceived by artists Eva & Franco Mattes. The project sparked intense reactions from Viennese citizens, city officials, and Nike itself, which filed a lawsuit against the artists.
Against all odds, the Mattes ultimately prevailed, winning the case against the corporate giant.
Installed at PAN, Naples.
Carrie Lambert-Beatty, “Make-Believe: Parafiction and Plausibility”.